Rmit Artists Take On New York

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27th August 2008, 11:37am - Views: 774





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RMIT artists take on New York 


Three RMIT University art researchers are making waves internationally, with

two prestigious New York galleries showing their work this month in an exhibition

that brings Melbourne’s Gothic aesthetic to a series of real and virtual gallery

environments.


Dark Luminance, curated by James Hullick and John Derrick, is on show at the

Pratt Institute Gallery and the Sakiko Gallery in Manhattan, as well as in a virtual

gallery developed by Dr Lisa Dethridge in RMIT’s island in Second Life.


The show has won high praise from New York arts reviewer Joe Bendik, of the

Chelsea Clinton News, who described the exhibition as “overwhelming”,

“mindblowing” and “straight out of the future”.


Mr Hullick is a PhD candidate in RMIT’s School of Art and artistic director for

sonic arts organisation JOLT, which supported the exhibition. His work features

dark and disturbing sound installations, robotic creatures, black wigs, sculptural

speakers and weird, mechanical objects.


“This exhibition of digital paintings, electronic and robotics installations is an

immersive, multi-sensory experience,” he said. 


Mr Derrick, a PhD candidate in the School of Creative Media, explores the

integration of 2D figurative oil painting in a 3D virtual space that is projected by

computer.


He harnesses cutting-edge 3D graphic technologies to extend the role of

traditional portraiture, in a technique he calls “digital painting”.


Visitors to the New York galleries are able to interact with virtual visitors who are

“present” in the form of their avatars, logged in to RMIT’s virtual gallery space in

Second Life. 


Dr Dethridge, Program Leader in the School of Creative Media, said the

exhibition showed Australian artists at the bleeding edge of digital technologies.


“In keeping with the Gothic theme of the ghost or the double, images and sounds

from the exhibition’s two physical spaces are linked to the 3D virtual world of

Second Life, projecting visions and audience participation from one space into

the other through the internet,” she said.


Dark Luminance is on show in New York until 28 August. High resolution images

of the works in the exhibition are available.


For interviews: Dr Lisa Dethridge, 0413 625 392.


For general media enquiries: RMIT University Media and Communications,

Gosia Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.

27 August, 2008






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